Key Takeaways from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 24th Annual Meeting

The American Journal of Managed Care team had the opportunity to attend the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s 24^th Annual Meeting in San Francisco this past week. Here are some of the key takeaways from the very informative sessions:

• The particular disease states that are being targeted for specialty pharmacy are cancer, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Drug shortages -- particularly in the central nervous system, antibiotics, chemotherapy, and cardiovascular drug classes — are on the verge of becoming a major “public health emergency.”
• Medication adherence trends in multiple sclerosis patients are very alarming; however, personalized medicine and oral therapies in the pipeline are two potentially promising solutions to the problem.
• The progress of Health Insurance Exchanges hinges on Congress’ decision on whether or not the exchanges are constitutional. If that happens, states that have been awaiting this decision will need to spring into action quickly in order to meet key deadlines.
• The 8^th edition of the EMD Serono Specialty Digest reveals some interesting data regarding strategies for managing across pharmacy and medical benefits.
• Oncology pathways are affecting drug use in a variety of ways, and oncology drugs are going to be used more consistently, in both on- and off-label capacities.

For more key takeaways from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 24th Annual Meeting, please click here.